Category: Life

My day began with Derek, my son surprising me at the golf course. Derek was taking a little video of me warming up on the range and this guy walked up and said, “I believe the starter paired me with you today!” Wow! What a surprise. It was Eric, a friend of ours from Dallas who had come to play and celebrate my birthday.

After our round of golf and a little chipping contest, the plan was go home and grill some burgers and hangout with these friends from Dallas and my family. But on the way home I got a call from Derek telling me that I needed to stop at the grocery store and pick-up some baked beans for supper.

Then came the second surprise of the day.

When I got home I walked into a a house it was filled with 50 people saying, “Surprise, Happy Birthday!” I was greeted with a happy birthday sign, two big gold balloons (one was a “6” and the other was a “0”), and many other balloons. On the table a beautiful cake with a picture of me playing the 18th hole at Harbor Town at Hilton Head.

Yes, my wife, Rachel, had pulled off a huge surprise “60th Birthday Party” and I had absolutely no idea.

June 5, 2016, Now I am almost 60 years old.

Tonight I sit at my in my chair contemplating the big day. It is when I move from living five decades to beginning of my sixth decade of life. You guessed it, tomorrow I turn 60 years old.

So this night is about reflecting on my life. I can remember the many of those milestones along my journey to this number. Whether it was 20, 30, 40, or 50 years old I took time to sit and think about where I was at an where I wanted to go, do, and be in life at those ages. Well, I have to admit, tonight is a little different.

I have now lived 21,900 days. In sports terms I am just starting the fourth-quarter. I have played the first three quarters (three at 20 years) and now it is time to start the fourth-quarter. It is the time in the game of life when a person’s practice, conditioning, experience become the most apparent. You have prepared for this time. There has been hours and hours of learning and trying to master those things that are important in life.

Just like I had to mastering the art of dribbling, passing, and shooting to be effective on a basketball court. A person in life needs to understand the their passion and purpose and then align their priorities to reach their potential. When you know your “Why” you then can align you priorities to reach your potential and learn to be great at being you. In my case I have tried to learn to be great at just being Dan.

There were those intense times of conditioning when you left the court and your legs felt like rubber and could hardly take another step. But it was that conditioning which separates you from the competition in the fourth quarter.

It is through those times of walking into the gym to practice your skills, run drills or do “killers” to get you in playing condition, or stepping on to the court to play the game, that you gain the experience needed to play in the fourth quarter.

Because of your experience and the wisdom (grey hair to go with it) you now are ready for the pressure you will get from the opposition. This isn’t your first time to the rodeo. You have been here before you know what you need to do in the fourth quarter to win the game. It is time to say, “Give me the ball, coach!” Let’s “Finish well” in the fourth quarter of this game of life.

When writing this I was reminded of songwriter Lukas Graham in his song, “Once I was Six Years Old”. There are a few very powerful parts in those lyrics. The song starts out, “Once I was seven years old my momma told me, Go make yourself some friends or you’ll be lonely. Once I was seven years old. He goes on to say, “Once I was eleven years old…” then states some advise he got from dad. “Once I was twenty years old…I see my goals, I don’t believe in failure.” He progress on, “Once I was thirty years old…” talks about how his career, traveled, and still learning about life.

He goes on to say, “Soon I’ll be sixty years old..my daddy got “sixty-one” (Wow!)” Aill the sudden the tone of the song changes to thinking death and dying. “Soon I’ll be sixty years old…will I think the world is cold or will I have lots of children to keep me warm.” Then ends the song going back to the original theme, “Once I was seventy years old…my momma told me go make some friends or you’ll be lonely. Once I I was seven years old.”

June 6, 2016, So now I am 60 years old.

You see at this milestone I have started counting days and not years. Turning 60 you have a different outlook of the fourth quarter that is different than playing a game. When you play a game you get many fourth quarters. In life you just get one fourth quarter. All the conditioning of those challenges, failures, difficulties, and pain has prepared me for now. Many years ago there was a term that I used to motivate my leadership teams, “Carpe Diem”. It simply meant “Seize the Moment”. That is what I am going to do as I begin the fourth quarter.

I am glad that in this period I do have somethings figured out. I do understand my purpose. I have worked to alleging my priorities so that I can reach my potential. I too, have learned to balance my time and manage my activities with the priorities of my life. For the first three quarters I have worked hard to be the best I can be. So that in a world that isn’t about just about “me” I could learn to do be good at we. I learned years ago, their is no I in TEAM and I am a team player.

This is not the time so slow down it is time to reeve up the engine it is the most important part of the game it is the fourth quarter and it all about finishing well. That is exactly what I plan on doing!

The journey that we all are on at times takes many twists and turns. The course we are traveling is very seldom a simple straight line from point A to point B. There are detours on the road that mess with our plans and our time frames. Those decisions we make in life may cause us to either stay on or cause us to veer off the path. Sometimes when you do go off the path, it might not be what you had planned or was not part of your game plan. But who knows, it might just be exactly what you needed to actually put you back a place that you can get back in the game.

So whether we are talking about your life, marriage, or career stay wake and keep your focus on the road ahead.

Many years ago, I was driving to Kansas City with my family. At that time we had a new Jeep Grand Cherokee and we had been driving for about five hours. My family were all sleeping and dad was at the wheel. Yes, I was a little tired, but you know how that is you are on a journey to a distinction so you push through. You suck on ice, chew bubble gum, and open the window to get a little air blowing through the car. Well, that is what I did.

After we had passed through Des Moines I was doing well, but it was about an hour south of Des Moines I got tired. So tired that I was starting to nod off a little. So more bubble gum and ice to chew on and window up and down to get that breeze. But all the sudden on one of those times I nodded off, I opened my eyes and had no idea where I was at or what I was doing. Now the Jeep has down in the ditch with the cruise control on at 70 mph when I was jolted to realize my situation. Now all I could think about of was getting the vehicle out of the ditch (lucky that I did, because there was a culvert we would have hit). So still in a daze, but I did not hit the break. I just tried to get out of the ditch.

Have you ever been trying to get out a ditch?

Now everyone is awake as the car comes up out of the ditch. When I hit the pavement I had to do something, so in my daze I hit the break and the car spun around a couple of times (without flipping over) and after a few seconds (which seemed like an eternity) the car came to rest in the middle of 35W in Southern Iowa. I was shaking. Everyone in the car was shaken, but glad to be alive.

So what did we do? Well, after pulling over and getting my bearings again. I got back into the drivers seat and we just proceeded on the journey. That incident that we experienced could have been very devastating to me and my family, but the only thing we could do was to get back on the road. But when we did, no one went back to sleep. We all stayed awake keeping our eyes on the road toward Kansas City.

There are times when you have to wake up and react to the circumstances that we are in. Just get our bearings again and get back on the road. There too are times, when we just need to relax because there is nothing you can do about the detour on the road you took. Yes, it might take a few minutes longer to get to our destination. But what I have learned in life is, if stay on the course we will get there. In both causes we just need to keep going.

So again if in your life, career, marriage, or any other part of your journey, you are going to have those twists and turns on the road. There maybe some times when you will encounter detours from what your plan is. The line between point A and point B just might not be straight, but my friends, if you will stay on the road you will get to your destination.

When was the last time that you checked to see if your heart was beating? Up until eight years ago, I am not sure if I hardly knew how or where to even check. But February 17, 2009 my life changed forever.

I was rushed from a Park Nicolett Clinic to Methodist Hospital in a ambulance. After going in for a check-up all the sudden the doors were opened with nurses and doctor told me that I needed to go immediately to Methodist Hospital and they had call an ambulance. They took me to a room and put a 12 lead on to monitor me heart, as soon as the ambulance arrived I was wheeled out on the gurney, put into the vehicle and I was on my way to the ER.

When I arrived they ran a echocardiogram and the test came back that my ejection fraction (a measurement of how much look the left ventricle pumps out with each contraction) was 10%. He told us that my heart was enlarged because of the fluid and that I had a heart value that was leaking. Not such good news. Matter of fact one of the first things he told us was that he had contacted the University of Minnesota and that he was putting me on the heart transplant list. I wasn’t sure is that was better or worst news.

That was February 17, 2009 and now today I am happy to say that I am still alive and functioning. Yes, things have changed a lot in my life and for my family. There have been times through out our almost 39 years in our marriage when we might be in a tough season. At those times I could tell my wife, “Don’t worry, everything is going to be fine”. Well, even that changed that day because of new fears of future and what that would mean moving forward. But with the medications that my cardiologists have me on, for the most part, I have maintained a pretty good quality of life.

Yes, I still battle arrhythmia. It is a condition where my heart will go out of sinus rhythm and will beat irregularly. Why that happens is a mystery to us and the cardiologists. But it is a reality we live. Just in past 12 months my heart has been out of 35 times, where a episode will last anywhere from 8 to 24 hours usually. But with what I call “my pill in a pocket” it will (the pill) shocks my heart back into rhythm. But if that does not work within a 48 hour period from the time the arrhythmia begins, I have have a procedure administrated to me called cardioversion.

This procedure is done by a electrocardiologist who places PADDLES on the heart and administrates electronic voltage to shock the heart back into rhythm, hopefuly. This all needs to be done in a timely manner within a 48 hour period from the time the arrhythmia begins. If not there is greater risk of stroke. Over the years I have had this procedure performed four times, but in the past few. The pill has worked for me every time within the time perimeters that have been set.

So all in all I have been able to maintain a pretty good quality of life. When my heart is functioning and beating right I feel really good. When it isn’t well that is another story. I really just want to do nothing. When I stand I am dizzy and get hot and honestly most the time I just want to go and crawl in bed. I will drive myself crazy at times checking my wrist every few seconds, hoping and praying that my heart will go back in rhythm soon.

So that is why I asked the question, “Have you checked your heart beat lately?”

Yes, I have shared a little of my journey physically. But for you it might not be physical.

What vital sign do you need to check in in your life, leadership, or passion to see if you are healthy and beating right?

Do whatever you have to do to keep it your heart beating, even if it means PADDLES!

There were many storylines and talking points about Super Bowl 50. But sometimes you just have to go out and play the game.

For the past couple of week it feels like all the news was about three things. The republican and democrat candidates vying for the presidential election posturing and Carolina Panthers playing the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50, and the Half-time show. If the chatter wasn’t about Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, John Kasich or Jed Bush, it was Bernie Sanders and Hilary Clinton. It was sure to be about Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos, or Cam Newton, NFL Player of the Year, and the offensive machine of the Carolina, or the future Hall of Famer, the aging Payton Manning and Von Miller and the Denver Defense. But if not the elections or the games, it was going to be about the Pepsi Half-time show or the commercials.

There is no question these are all different types of events. One is about the future of our country that will have a profound impact on all our lives and even the world. The others is a just an entertainment and a 3 hour game. But, every year in the world of sports this spectacle continues to grow, and in just two years the show is coming back to Minnesota and the new US Bank Stadium.

Even though there is so much that surrounds these days in early February, there is a game that is played. Before the game begins there is two-weeks of analysis by the expert commentator on the national sports shows, local sports talk show personalities. There will be interviews of players and coaches on both the winning and losing teams. At the awards ceremony show, the ownership and coaches of the winning team will presented the Super Bowl Trophy and a MVP Player of the Game will be named.

There would be none of the Super Bowl hype, if that wasn’t a game. But there is a game that is played.

This year when you listened to the experts “breaking down” the game for two weeks, it felt very much like Carolina was going to be the clear cut winner. A star quarterback of the future against the aging “Hall of Fame” quarterback of the supposedly past. Even though the defense of the Broncos was good, most did not believe that they could stop the “Carolina train”.

But as we all know, sometimes you just need to play the game. It might look very lopsided on paper or on the stat sheet, but to have a winner you must but the pads on, lace up the shoes, and go play. When you run through the tunnel on to the field with all the adoring fans cheering you, you realize it is game time. There will be yards gained by both running and throwing the football. There will be yards lost on sacks. There will be turnovers as a running back that is trying to get a few extra yards, loses the ball. Or a defensive end rushes the quarterback and a force fumble or makes the quarterback under pressure throw the ball that results in an interception.

You see, sometimes you just have to play the game. That is exactly what happened. I guess you could say I bought into all the “Carolina Hype”. At my Super Bowl party, the prediction I made was a little off at halftime I thought it would be 21-7. I really thought that Cam Newton would just come out firing on all cylinders and they score 31 points and win Super Bowl 50.

But sometimes you have to play the game and early on in the contest the tone was set. When the second player in 2011 NFL Draft, Von Miller clashed with the first player in that draft Cam Newton, and the ball squirted out of the hand the quarterback and rolled into the end zone and a Denver Bronco fell on it for a touchdown. That play set the tone for the entire game. Even though there may have been times when the Carolina offense started to get a spark, it was that Denver defense that just made all around 112.5 Million views feeling like I did.

There were many observations that were made about the game and even the post-game activity. But for me the two take-a-ways were.

The other day I heard someone talking about what they called a “safe place.” That made me start thinking about my “safe place”. That place I could go to get away from everything and everyone? If I did, where is that place for me in my life?

Have you ever heard someone talk about a place, one of those special places they can go to?

It might be a bench in a park, or a spot by the lake, or special tree that they have gone to since they were a kid. For you it just might be revving up your Harley and just going cruising. It could be a special place, in that special chair in your special room of your home. So the question is do you have one? Do you have “safe place”. If so where is that place of you?

As I began to ponder the question, I came up with two very different places. One of those places for me was outdoors and the other was in my home. The first place I thought of was a golf course. For me, that doesn’t necessarily mean playing a round of golf and keeping score. But it could be hitting balls on the range or chipping and putting on the practice green. This is one of my “safe place(s)”. In this place I am all in, forget about everything, and feel very relaxed.

The other place for me would have to be in the bathtub. I know there are a lot of people who don’t even like a bath and would much rather prefer a shower, but for me it is the jacuzzi bath tub in our master bedroom. Over the years, this “safe place” has been where I have done a lot of relaxing, thinking, praying, and dreaming. It too, is a place where ideas have come to life, and solutions to problems, challenges, situations I faced were conceived. Yes, I like soaked in the tub, feeling the bubbles of the jacuzzi working on my achy joints and pains.

My “safe place(s)” have different purposes for me. But for the most part it is my place to just get away from everything going on and just relax.

Over the years my “safe place” has got me through many difficult, hurtful, disappointing, and challenging situations. But it isn’t always just for the times I felt a loss or like I was losing. No, there are those times of socking in the victory, pondering, and plotting the next steps toward goal, project, or life.

But at times when you are in the midst of those difficult and challenge times, if I am honest, I just want to stay in my “safe place”. It don’t want to leave the course or get out of the bathtub. Why? Because it is my “safe place”.

If I am honest, there have been multiple times in my life when I have felt that way. But I don’t think that I am alone. The time(s) when you just don’t want move from that “safe place”. The time when you just don’t want to get out of the tub. Because you know that when you do leave that place, and get out of the jacuzzi, open the door, and your re-enter the real world.

It is a Sunday night and the plan was to leave early in the morning to beat the traffic. When my wife got up she looked out the window and saw big flakes of snow coming down. She could see the roads were already covered with the white stuff. The weather report was that the snow would start about 9 am, but I guess the weather man was wrong because it was 6:30 am and we are going to need to leave earlier than we had originally planned to beat the traffic.

So now we have a new plan. It is, go as soon as we can get ready to leave. So we are rushing around getting ready, grabbing a little breakfast (we decided not to have the traditional scrambled eggs), and then grab the suitcase and my computer bag and we will be out the door.

I went out to start the car, because it is not winter Minnesota and I wanted the car to be nice and warm for my wife when she go in the car. So we pull out of the garage and it is snowing. So I did what you need to do in this situation, I turned on my wipers. When I turned them on the arms came-up the window and the driver’s side blade fell off the blade. Remember, we are in a hurry to get on the snowy, icy, and slippery roads and I have never had the blade fall off the arm before. But why today! We are in a hurry.

Remember, we are hurrying to beat the traffic on the first day of snowy, icy, and slippery roads. What? You have to be kidding. The my wiper blade has come off the wiper arm?

So I got out of the car and looked at the blade. The truth of the matter is, when I am not rushed and I have the instructions in front of me, I have a hard time putting on the windshield wiper blade on. So now, it is snowing, we are trying to get ahead of the traffic, and I have an wiper arm without a blade on it. We have a problem.

At that moment I had a choice at that time. The way I saw it I had a few options. My first was to quickly try to get the blade back on the arm, so I tried that and in my haste realized the plastic piece that held the blade on the arm was broke. So that option was out the window. The other choice was to go back home and get the MiniCooper, that care is not the best in the snow, but it could work. So I thought of one other option. Just lift the arm without the blade from the glass (so it would not scratch the window) and just drive with the one blade on the passenger side. So that is what I did.

What I realized is that you can drive a car with one windshield wiper working. It is not easy to do, because you have limited vision, so I had to really concentrate on what I was doing while driving on the slick roads. It is not something that I would recommend, but nevertheless, it can be done.

So what was the lesson?

Isn’t it amazing how things that we take for granted or seem such little part of our life go when they don’t work can mess us up. Your vision can be hampered, or that little thing can throw you off of your game, or hinder your progress.

This morning, “My windshield wipers were not working” and it threw us off our plan and it also limited our vision, but after I dropped my wife off at the light rail, I went and fixed the wiper.

Don’t you wish all those things in life that can hamper your progress, limit your vision, or throw you off your plan could be fixed by just going to the auto store?

Think about this…

What do you wish in your life, relationships, business or any other part of your world you could fix by going to the auto store?

Yes, your story really does matter! Jesus commanded us to, “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.” He also told us as believers to “Go”, but we would not have to do it alone. The promise was we would receive power to tell what we had experienced and witnessed to “our” Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth.

What I have experienced in the Church, is we were really good at the ends of the earth part of those words of Jesus, but the Jerusalem part was difficult for all of us. It does seem to matter our age, whether we are (older or younger) Boomers, Baby Boomer, Gen Xers, Millennial’s we have all been called to tell the story. Matter of fact sometimes I have seen the older we get the more callous we are to the story.

We see it all the time with people going on a missions trip to some other part of the world. They are so excited to go and work day and night doing everything thing we can to impact the lives of those we are trying to reach in foreign country. They raise money from family and friends to have the experience of a different world. The mission may be to may feed, cloth, pass out literature, have gatherings on the streets and/or in buildings (or a combination of some of all) to see lives changed.

But when we get home from the incredible experience, does it really impact us in reaching our Jerusalem or does it get us excited about taking another mission trip. You see people in our neighborhood, in the work place, friends, teammates on our ball team, fine arts, or in our classrooms need to hear the story. These are people dealing with all kinds of issues and challenges in their lives and they to hear the story.

So what is it that keeps us from “our” Jerusalem? Is it the fear? Is it rejection?

Paul said it this way, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to very one who believes. Is it the message? You see there is a place where we come into the story. Call that experience, moment, or season what every you want, but the journey of being a Christ follower starts somewhere.

It is I Cor. 5:17 that says, “If any man or woman, boy, or girl be in Christ he is a new creation the old life is gone and a new life comes.” There is a change in your life.

But that is just the beginning of this exciting journey. Because everyone needs to not only come to faith or start the journey, but they really need to own the experience. What do I mean? A person needs to own their experience?

If a person owns their relationship with Jesus it will impact how they live their life, for the rest of their life.

As a person lives there life, they will out of the natural interactions be able to share their story with others. In the church that has been called witnessing. I really believe it is the fear of witnessing that scares people from witnessing. You see your story and your journey from darkness to light is powerful. It is your story and it has the potential to resonate with the people God brings into your path. When you step out or look for opportunities to share your story those opportunities will come. It maybe with a family member, friend, colleague, or a stranger who needs to hear “your” story.

When you come to faith, when you understand the fact that you need to own your faith, it isn’t your dad or moms, or friends faith it is yours, you will live it. Think about it this way. You come faith, then you have to own the message, when you own it, you will live it, when you live it you will naturally share it. I really believe if you own, live, and share your story, you will keep your faith for a lifetime. Through all your life-turns, changes, and challenges your will have a solid foundation to build your life on.

There is an old hymn that I remember singing. I can see mom at the piano or on the organ and dad at the pulpit leading the congregation in singing these powerful words, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.” It is the second verse says, “When darkness seems to hide His face, I rest on His unchanging grace. In every high and stormy gal, my anchor holds within the veil.” Then third verse we would sing,

When He shall come with trumpet sound, Oh, may I then in Him be found. Dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne.” Then the chorus, “On Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand.”

There are going to be struggles and challenges in your life, but when you life is build on the foundation of the rock you are going to have opportunities for you to share your story. How God transformed your life. You will be able to tell about what your life was like before you became a follower of Christ and what has happened since that time in your story.

You see, if you own and live your faith, just be ready God opens the door for you to share your story. As you continue to share your story of transformation and struggle to be fully alive in Christ, the story you share will keep you alive in Christ for a life-time.

Your Story…it is yours. Own it! Live it! Share it! Keep it fresh and alive for a life-time!

Do really realize that “Your Story” really does matter?

It could just be that “someone” who your life intersects who just needs to hear “your” story. It just could be your story that will help them to write a “Better” story as together, we invite people to pursue the struggle of becoming fully alive in God.

I watched the Minnesota Timberwolves battle the Los Angeles Lakers in the first game of the 2015-16 season. It was a great game that really caught my attention. Even though it was on late, I decided to watch it to the end and boy am I glad I did. Early on the Lakers where very much in control of the game, but late in the contest the Timberwolves started to chip away at the lead.

In the fourth quarter it felt like the momentum had changed as they Timberwolves came back. The young players on the court, Ricky Rubio, Andrew Wiggins, Carl-Anthony Towns, Zach Levine and Shabazz Muhamand and Serbian Nemanja (Serbian star) came back from 14 points down to take a 9 point lead. But the Lakers fought back in the closing minute of the game to take the lead. But with just 5 seconds left in the game, Wolves #1 pick the 2015 NBA Draft, the rookie hit a shot that gave the lead and the win.

What I saw at the end of the game impressed me. It is a picture that will stick in my mind and one that I believe we all can learn from and apply in our lives.

The closing of the game was incredible. The Minnesota Timberwolves older experienced veterans up off the bench cheering on their teammates. They watched as the baton was being passed. They were in the game a lot differently than they were used of being in the game. They were all used of being on the floor, listen to the coach design the play or call the defense. In that huddled they were getting ready to have their number called t0 take the last shot. But not last night! No they were cheering the young inexperienced players with so much potential as they try to win the game against the Los Angeles Lakers. With veteran, Hall of Fame player Kobe Bryant on the floors with his team, now in a different role on the team, veterans Kevin Garnett, Andre Miller, Tayshaun Prince, and Kevin Martin not even in the game when the game was on the line.

But the picture of these veterans with their arms around each other and as the camera pans their way jumping up and down as 1st pick in the 2015 draft, Karl-Anthony Towns hits a turn-around jump shot to put the T-wolves up 112 -111. Then during the ensuing time-out with just 4.2 seconds left, the emotional encouragement of the veterans of the young players to finish and win the game.

I believe that in life you get an opportunity to lead. At sometime and someplace you are given the opportunity to step to the plate and take the lead. I also believe there is a time when the baton gets passed on, either in a positive or negative way. When the experienced star, they guy that is used to being in the limelight, gives way to the inexperienced up-coming star to see them thrive in and under the pressure of the moment.

Whether that is in sports, church world, a company or organization there comes a time. There is a time for the baton to be pass.

How will? How are? How did you handle that time in your life as a business owner, entrepreneur, team member, CEO, lead pastor, or any other position of change?

Wow, what a moment in Minnesota Timberwolves Basketball and an one I will never forget. What a moment of teaching for those of us who truly desire pass the baton to the next generation as they dream and lead, as the spotlight of life pans away to the next generation!

I was just sitting at Starbucks one afternoon doing some strategic planning. When a 23 year old young man leans over to ask me a question. Because I had kind of been overhearing his conversation with a couple of young ladies, I had a pretty good idea of what he might ask. And sure enough it was a question that I have been asked many in my 38 years working with young people. It was a simple and straight forward question, yet one of the very the most complex and puzzling questions anyone could ever ask.

He politely said, “Sir, can I ask you a question?” I responded, “Sure you can.” He asked the question, “What do you think is the meaning to life?” Wow, that is one of those loaded questions. So, not knowing where he was coming from I began by answering his question with a question. I began trying to find out where he was on the spectrum of that question, in his journey in life.

So I began to explore where he was coming from by restating the question from the word “meaning” of life to “purpose” of life. As he responded to my question, he told me where he was philosophically. So we proceeded to have a very interesting conversation around this very simple, complexed and puzzling question that many people are asking.

My question to you is simply this, “How would you have responsed to the question?”

What have you discovered in you journey in life to be the answer to that question?

When I was in elementary school Friday’s where a special day. Yes, it was the last day of the week and I knew that the weekend was coming and not school. But that was not the significance of the day being special. The reason it was special was because Friday’s someone in the class would get picked to wash the blackboard.

You see, all week the teacher would write on the blackboard, not a a smart board like today, and then she would erase and write on it again and erase and write on it again and the process would go on all week. But when she erased you could still see the “smudges” of the chalk on the board. But Friday was different, because it was the day the blackboard got not only erased but washed. And the good part was, If you were chosen for the blackboard it was a special honor. Because when everyone else was doing their assignments, you did were excused from the assignment because you were washing the blackboard. When you finished the project the blackboard was not full of erased chalk markings, but it was totally clean and perfectly black, it was like it was brand new.

I have told many people the story using this backboard as our lives. Because when we sin (we all will and do) it is like the chalk marks on the blackboard. Even though we try to erase what we have done, you still seem to be able to see writing coming through. But did you know, “The blood that Jesus shed for you way back on calvary, The blood that gives you strength from day to day. It will never lose its power. It reaches to the highest mountain. It flow to the lowest valley. The blood that gives me strength from day to day. It will never lose its power.” (Crystal Lewis – The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power)

It is simply the blood that washes away all your sin. I John 1:9 say, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Simple put…when we ask God to forgive us, he washes our blackboard and all the “smudges” are going forever.

But you don’t have to wait till Friday. Because every time you ask He (Jesus) who shed his blood for you and me, forgives your sin and washes your blackboard clean.